I hate it when they do this type of story, as it makes everyone rush out to buy a pet, even if they don't particularily want one.
Some research was released today, out of the US, that found those children who had pets in the house while the child was under one year old and up to age seven, actually had fewer allegies than those kids whose parents did not have pets. And not just animal allegies, but also hay fever, dust mites, etc. The theory is that the animals carry certain bacteria on them, and if you expose young children to this, they build up a better resistance to all types of allergens. I especially objected to the phrase used by the news anchor "the benefits of owning a pet". I wonder if our laws ever change with respect to calling ourselves pet guardians vs owners, if the news people will have to edit their terminology?